How to answer a “Call for Artists”

I was invited to submit a proposal to the Nevada Museum of Art for their 80th anniversary in June 2011. Boy have I been excited and busy! The project was not due until Wed., Aug 11 by 5PM. The theme of the show is “To Live Forever: Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum”. I turned mine in last Monday. Now I may relax and worry until then.
My medium is beads and fiber so I really had to get creative to create a pen and colored pencil drawing for my rendering. Here is how I did it:
First I had to think my brains out to come up with an idea that I liked. I decided to decorate my cat with a necklace that could be removed by the purchaser of the cat and be worn. Next I needed to draw a recognizable cat. (Drawing is not my forte’). Any of you who have submitted a proposal knows that you have to do your research. I bought a book on ancient Egyptian jewelry.

Then I took the copy of the picture sent to me (a cat sitting on a box) and had a local copy shop expand it to fill a 20″ X 16″ sheet of paper. I took this paper home and put a tracing paper over it and traced the image I needed. First hurdle completed…a picture that looked like a cat.
Next I drew my beaded design on the tracing. I colored in all the beads I would use. The cat sits on a box so I started decorating that.
After all the work I had done, I CHANGED my mind.
The box became a barge that the cat sits on.
I have posted a picture of my rendering. I’ll also let you know if I was asked to be a part of the show. Any way this goes…invited…not invited…I have learned a great deal and will pass all my knowledge on to you.